Archive for the '2010 Offseason' Tag Under 'Ducks' Category

It is hard to tell who is more frustrated in what has become the running drama of this summer for the Ducks.

Bobby Ryan? Bob Murray? Or is it the fans, especially those who don the black No. 9 jersey to games? (Unless you're one of the few that still have that eggplant-and-jade version with 'KARIYA' emblazoned on the back and didn't bury it in the closet, the attic or the backyard. But we digress).

But the thing is, Ryan isn't the only talented young restricted free agent who is playing a little hardball with his team.

Marc Staal and the New York Rangers are at odds over a new deal as the team's undisputed top defenseman is also seeking big money, perhaps somewhere in the $4-5 million range. Consequently, there has been speculative talk within the blogosphere about a Ryan-for-Staal swap with the suggestion that it would help fill both teams' needs.

Now we know why the Ducks were very cool to any interest in Willie Mitchell, a veteran shutdown defenseman that looked like a nice fit on the blue line.

After being courted by a number of NHL teams and reportedly narrowing his choices down to a handful, Mitchell signed a two-year contract with the Kings on Wednesday as he adds needed toughness and experience to a team looking to take the next step after its first playoff appearance in eight years.

The Kings were the only team to offer Mitchell a two-year deal, according to Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times. The likely reason why teams were hesitant to go beyond one year were due to concerns about him coming off symptoms related to a concussion he suffered Jan. 16 that ended his season.

Little by little, Corey Perry is trying to show that he's more than the Ducks' choirboy-faced hellraiser and Ryan Getzlaf's literal wingman.

Perry was a tantalizing tease last season as he roared out of the gate with thoughts of forcing his way onto Canada's stacked Olympic men's hockey team. And he did just that as 13 goals in the first 18 games along with five years of natural chemistry built up with Getzlaf was more than enough to convince Team Canada GM Steve Yzerman of his worthiness.

Those 13 goals in the season's first few weeks also fueled the hope that Perry was going to bust out and put up a 40-goal (or even 50-goal) and 90-to-100-point campaign. Alas, that didn't materialize.

The goals slowed to a trickle and Getzlaf, his setup guy, got hurt. Perry did score four times in the Olympics and found the net in the gold-medal game against the U.S. but, like his teammates, things weren't quite the same with the Ducks after that seminal moment.

But Perry did carry the Ducks early on when others struggled mightily and he eventually led the team in scoring for the first time. Maybe that isn't ideal when you've got a top-10 (or even a potential top-five) center on your team but the winger might be showing that he's more than an offshoot of his skilled playmaker.

Aaron Ward didn't make it back to the postseason as he hoped his late-season trade to the Ducks from Carolina would do but the defenseman is leaving hockey with some things on his resume that any player would love to have.

Ward, 37, announced his retirement Tuesday after 13 full NHL seasons and parts of two others spent with Detroit, Carolina, the New York Rangers, Boston and the Ducks. He was a member of three Stanley Cup champion teams -- the 1997 and 1998 Red Wings, who are the last team to go back-to-back, and the 2006 Hurricanes.

In a statement released by the NHL players' union, Ward indicated that he underwent a third surgery on his knee after the season and it was determined that he wouldn't be ready for the start of 2010-11. The veteran became a free agent in July after the Ducks opted not to bring him back.

"I'm very proud to have played for as long as I did in the NHL, with and against the best players in the game," Ward said in the statement. "This game has left me with countless memories and relationships, especially from those Stanley Cup winning teams in Carolina and Detroit. Thank you to my family, fans, friends and teammates for all of the great years."

Ward played in 839 games and had 44 goals, 107 assists and 736 penalty minutes. He also played in 95 playoff games, including 25 for the Hurricanes in their championship season. It was his goal in Game 7 that got Carolina started in its 3-1 win over Edmonton.

Bobby Ryan was careful with his words as he spoke, understandably so given that his contract negotiations with the Ducks have the appearance of two stubborn sides trying to see which one will blink first.

But the goal-scoring winger had this clear message that he wanted to convey. He doesn't want to be traded, he isn't seeking a trade and his goal is to be at training camp when it opens on Sept. 18 at Anaheim Ice.

"I don't want a trade," Ryan told the Register on Monday following a workout. "I'm not asking for a trade. I want to be here in Anaheim. This is where I want to be.

"If it comes to a situation where there's heads butting, then I guess it would be best. But I am not looking for a trade. I have no intentions of being traded. I love it here and want to remain a Duck."

Ryan did confirm that the length of the contract is the major sticking point. The Ducks have tabled offers of five years at $5 million per season and four years at an average of $4.65 million annually, which have been turned down as the winger to this point has been hesitant to sign a contract for more than three years.

Ducks winger Joffrey Lupul will miss the opening of training camp and likely won't be ready for the start of the regular season due to a reoccurrence of a blood infection in his back.

Lupul said Monday he suffered the setback one month ago and stopped training because of the discomfort. Results from blood tests showed that the infection had returned, according to the team.

Lupul will continue to take antibiotics for another four weeks and cannot do any physical activity during that time. He will be re-evaluated on or around Sept.20, about two or three days after the Ducks open camp.

Lupul said that being ready for the Ducks' season opener on Oct.8 is not a possibility. There is no timetable for his return.

“It's really frustrating,” Lupul said. “I haven't played hockey in a long time. I was hoping to be ready on day one of camp. But now my focus has changed. I want to get rid of this. I'm very confident I can get back playing and playing well.”

These players are on the ice for no more than a few minutes per game and the majority of them might find their way onto a scoresheet but it won't often be in the column for goals or assists.

But whatever you want to call him and regardless of how you feel about his role on a hockey team, the enforcer is one of the few players that can bring fans out of their seats and the best can develop a fan following that rivals that of the their team's top performers.

Just as Stu Grimson carved out a following in Anaheim and several other locales because of his work as "The Grim Reaper", George Parros (right) has earned the love of many Ducks fans because of his ability to win fights on the ice and his easygoing nature and devotion to many charitable endeavors off it.

Having the most impressive 'stache in the NHL has certainly helped his image but Parros has used it to help those less fortunate as he and his wife, Tiffany, introduced the clothing line Stache Gear which benefit both the Childhood Leukemia Foundation and Garth Brooks Foundation.

Parros also has his annual Cut For The Kids where he and many others have their flowing manes trimmed to donate their hair to the non-profit organization Locks Of Love, which creates hairpieces for cancer-stricken children.

While wading through the bright light of summer and the (mostly) dead zone of hockey's calendar year, we offer Three Wishes for the 2010-11 season:

1. A Ducks-Kings playoff series. It's still difficult to believe that in 16 years (the lockout nullified the 2004-05 season) the Ducks and Kings have never been in the postseason simultaneously, let alone played each other in the spring.

Judging by the animosity on the ice and in the stands at Honda Center and Staples Center, the crosstown rivalry sorely needs this to happen.

How about the second-seeded Kings against the seventh-seeded Ducks in the first round? No.3 vs. No.6?